Spokesman of the Civil Defense in Makkah province Maj. Abdullah Al-Omari said the Civil Defense immediately dispatched four firefighting crews to the scene.
The spokesman said while the fire was being put out, part of the house collapsed. "After the fire was put out, we discovered a body in the debris. We were able to save four people who were taken to hospital by Red Crescent ambulances.”
He said an investigation was under way.
Old houses falling down have become a problem in Jeddah, especially in underdeveloped districts.
According to municipality statistics, there are about 8,000 houses scattered in underdeveloped areas in the city that should have been demolished due to their age, in addition to 1,500 other houses on the verge of collapsing. The municipality warned residents of these houses to vacate them.
